Tablet packaging machine



March 13, 1934. A. A. TOTMAN TABLET PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filed May14, 1931 ATTORNEY Inven to? Amos ATotman,

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES TABLET PACKAGING MACHINE Amos A.Totman, Fitchburg, The Brown Bag Filling Fitchburg, setts Mass, assignorto Machine Company,

Mass, a corporation of Massachu- Application May 14, 1931, Serial No.537,448 Renewed November 29, 1933 4 Claims.

The invention relates to packaging machines, and particularly to amachine adapted to package candy tablets or other tablets of the largersize. It is an object of the invention to present a novel means forordering such tablets in a chute as a part of a counting or chargeforming mechanism by which the goods are introduced into suitable bagsor other containers. It is specially a purpose to enable this orderingof the stock without damage to the easily frangible coating applied tosuch tablets in many cases, and to effect the feeding of the stock froma hopper with aminimum jostling movement of the stock to causeadjustment of the individual articles as required.

Another aim is to effect the ordering and counting of the articleswithin a limited space and with apparatus of extreme simplicity.

A further object is to present an ordering device adjustable readily tofunction with articles of various materials to assure their propermovement from the hopper and in the order desired. Another object is toprovide means to insure effective clearance of each charge and to adjustthe goods compactly in the container.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in theembodiment of the invention, as will be understood from the followingdescription and accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a mechanism embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation from the opposite side.

Figure 3 is a front view of the machine. Figure 4 is a cross sectionthrough the hopper. Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional viewlongitudinally of the chute 20, showing the action of the brush 39.

There is illustrated a machine corresponding in its main drivingmechanism and lower operative mechanism to the structure shown in thepatents to Cummings, 539,171, and Barter 1,164,- 9'75, and otherwise. Itincludes a counting or charge forming means similar to that presented inthe patent to Brown, 1,531,644.

This style of machine includes a main shaft upon which there areprovided cams and sprock- 59 ets to operate the various mechanisms, andcertain of thecams and sprockets are common to various adaptations ofthe machine, being used to operate widely various members in thedifferent machines. 'In the present instance the cam may be usedsomewhat as shown in the Brown patent to operate the upper and lowerdetent devices by which tablets are segregated in predetermined number,within the chute. The machine shown is adapted to use with chewing gumtablets or the like, each of which consists of a flattened bodysubstantially rectangular around its major perimeter, and of a thicknessless than half its width.

The machine includes a chute 11, carried on the regular frame 12, thechute being inclined at an angle of about 35 degrees to the vertical,which is much steeper than the usual inclination of nail chutes for nailpackaging machines. The chute is formed with one or more channels 13extending throughout its length, and adapted to receive slidably tablets14 and to hold them with their medial major planes in a verticalposition. The tablets shown may be either square or oblong. The channelsare partly covered by a top plate 15 projecting partly across thechannels, but leaving a slot 16 at one side over each channel. Upper andlower detents 17 and 18 are mounted on the chute, which may be operatedas in thepatent to Brown named, these including fingers 19 which arequite flexible and resilient at their extremities, being tapered toenter the slots 16.

A starting chute 20 is pivoted on a vertical telescopically adjustablesupport 21 forming part of a rear extension of the frame of the machine.The chute section 20 at its forward end is alined with the chute 10 andhas channels 22 therein adapted to register with the channel 16 of thechute 11 at times, the upper end of the chute 11 being shaped concentricwith the pivot of the chute section 20 so that the forward end of thelatter may oscillate vertically in close relation thereto. The pivot ofthe section 20 is on the upper member 24.- of the support 21 the lowermember 25 of which is slotted to receive screws 26 engaged in the uppermember and clamping the two together. The lower member 25 is L-shaped,its lower arm 27 being longitudinally slotted and having screws 28engaged therethrough in suitable apertures of a horizontal rearwardlyextending bracket bar 29 to clamp the latter and the lower arm 27together adjustably. A hopper 30 is mounted on the rear part of thechute section 20 for movement with the section 20. The sides of thechannels 22 within the hopper are fiaredso as to facilitate entrance ofstock to the channels, as will be described. The chute section is alsowidened and thickened at its upper part, the outer walls of the channelsbeing continued divergently upward and outward from the channels withproper inclination to serve as a bottom for the hopper.

The forward end of the starting chute 20 is provided with a roller 31mounted on the under side and supporting the chute 20 by resting upon acam wheel 32 fixed on a counter shaft 33 journalled in the bracket 34 onthe frame extension 35. This cam has uniformly spaced depressions andelevations 36 and 37 of slight altitude, so that when the cam isrotated, it jostles the forward end of the chute 20, vibrating oragitating the contents of the hopper 30 so that they will becomeadjusted in the chute channels 22. The depth of the channels 22 in thechute 20 is the same as the minor transverse dimension of the tablets intheir major plane, and the hopper 30 is formed by mounting the sidewalls thereof directly upon the chute 20 without any other bottom.

The front side of the hopper rests across the channels 22 of the chute20, and may be notched over the channels to permit ready passage oftablets when projecting slightly above the top face of the chute 20. Arotary brush 39 is mounted in a bracket fixed upon the chute 20 so as tomove translatively therewith. The shaft of the brush carries a pulleywheel 41 at the outer end and on the counter shaft 33 there is a pulley42 belted to the pulley 4I by an elastic slack belt 43. The brush servesto hold the tablets in the chute at its extremity, and to press intoalinement any tablets which may not be in proper ordered relation in thechute 20. The brush for this purpose rotates so as to sweep upwardly onthe chute 20. Its bristles are preferably hog bristles and the brush ispositioned so that the bristles are substantially flexed when engagedwith the tablets, so that the latter may readily slip under the bristlesby the agitation of the chute. The degree of oscillation of the chute 20at its forward extremity is less than one sixteenth of an inch betweenits opposite limits, and with the chute 20 at its lowermost position thebottoms of the channels 22 of the chute 20 are nearly in alinement withthe respective channels 16 of the chute 11, but slightly higher, so thattablets are unobstructed in moving from the chute 20 to the chute 11. Atthe upper position of the chute 20, the tablets have been abruptlylifted, so that they move easily into the chute 11. The use of the brush39 is necessary because in the movement of the tablets from the chute 20against tablets in the chute 11, the latter tablets would be pressedtoward the top of the channel which is in eifect deepened at thebeginning, by having a cover plate 45 extended over the chute 11divergent therefrom toward the chute 20. The friction and shocks thusinvolved would tend to damage the coatings of the tablets. Retardingaction of the brush lessens this friction and shock.

It is an important advantage of my construction that by having'the pivotof the chute and hopper immediately adjacent the hopper the movement ofthe stock into the chute channels is effected with a very slight degreeof oscillatory movement of the stock, whereas, if the pivot wereimmediately adjacent the junction of the chute 20 and chute 11, it wouldrequire a very considerable swing of the'chute to cause the stock tomove properly past the pivot. It has been known to pivot the lower endof a starting chute immediately adjacent the upper end of a chutereceiving therefrom, it having been heretofore thought necessary toavoid-as far as practicable -movement of the two chutes relatively. In

such prior devices the oscillatory movement required has been many timesas great as is necessary in my device. I have discovered that it ispracticable to utilize the starting chute pivoted at the opposite endfrom its discharge end, and to accomplish proper feed of stock underrelative movement of the discharge end of the starting chute withrespect to the receiving end of the lower chute, with markedly improvedresults. It permits the extremely slight movement in agitation indicatedby my construction, attaining thereby great economy in wear of parts,and reduction of damage to stock.

In the operation of my machine, the stock being introduced in bulk intothe hopper, and the machine operated, the cam 32 produces. a steadilysustained but very slight vertical jostling of the contents of thehopper, and the lower articles quickly enter the channels 22 of thechute 20 and pass outward therethrough to the vertically oscillatingextremity of the starting chute. This oscillation merely causes a slightloose movement of the stock in the chute, so that it slides easily intothe chute 11. The oscillations are at a very rapid rate and might moreproperly be termed a vibration, occurring as they do at the rate of from40 to 50 per second, but being of such slight degree from one limit tothe other, that the tablets are not lifted from the chute 20, nor dothey tend to become thrown above the chute 11. However, there a certainresilience in the tablets, and the brush 39 is providedin order toobviate liability that the period of oscillation of the starting chutemay be so coordinated with the reaction of some of the tablets that theymay tend to be thrown upward unduly with liability of breaking thecoating.

The counting mechanism in the chute l1 operates in the way familiar withsuch apparatus, discharging the tablets in charges of predeterminednumber.

Certain tablets have a tendency to stick or be frictionally held in thelower chute, and in order to counteract this tendency there is provideda tapping hammer or lever 46 having an offset ear 4''! at the lower sidepivoted on the side of the chute 11 by means of a stud bolt near theupper extremity of the chute. A wiper roller 48 is mounted on the sideof the lever a distance from its pivot, and a cam 49 is mounted on theside of the chute supporting the roller and rotated by a sprocket 5cfixed thereon'and driven by chain 51 from a suitable driving sprocket 52on a shaft 53. The countershaft 33 is likewise driven from the shaft 53but by a larger sprocket 54 and the connection shown is such that thecam 32 will rotate twice for each revolution of the cam 49. The cam 49is formed with a lobe having an eccentric or rising face terminating atits maximum radius in a drop 55 to the part of minimum radius. Theextremity of the lever 46 is located and shaped so as to strike the topof the chute or an anvil thereon when the roller 48 falls over the dropof the cam coincident with the lifting of the detent l8, and thereby thechute 11 is jarred sufiiciently to insure smooth movement of the tabletspast the counting device and from the chute. The lever 46 is held withthe wiper 48 firmly against the cam by a suitable spring 56. Thestarting chute 20 has not had a spring attached thereto to hold it down,gravity being apparently suii'icient, and the practice in this respectmay be adapted to the requirement of the action of the device.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a stationary lower chute, a.starting chute having a discharge end vertically oscillatable inalinement with thefirst chute and a spring plate mounted to extend overmutually adjacent portions of both chutes and bearing resiliently on thehigher one.

2. In a machine of the character described, a chute section pivoteddistant from its discharge end, a hopper open at its bottom on the chutenear the pivot, said chute exposed adjacent its discharge end for adistance and a flexible brush having bristle elements to engage uponstock passing in the chute to bear downwardly thereon and away from thedischarge end of the chute.

3. A tablet ordering and counting device com prising a stationaryinclined main chute, a starting chute having a pivotal mounting adistance rearwardly of and above the receiving end of the main chute,the two having proximal ends closely fitting each other for relativevertical oscillation of the starting chute, a hopper on the upper end ofthe starting chute open upon this chute, and means to oscillate thelower end of the starting chute vertically, said mounting including avertical lower member, an upper member telescopically adjustable thereonand pivotally connected to the starting chute, and means to secure thetelescoped parts in adjusted positions.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which a base frame is provided, saidvertical lower member being slidably mounted thereon for adjustmenthorizontally, and means to secure the lower member in adjusted positionson said base frame.

AMOS A. TOTMAN.

